


Good Enough

by Jerevinan



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Body Image, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Roleswap AU, childhood fic, prince Ignis AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 09:46:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11734500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jerevinan/pseuds/Jerevinan
Summary: All the children at school want to associate with Prince Ignis, but there is only one kid who treats him like a friend. When jealousy leads to cruelty, however, sometimes reassurance is necessary to remind someone they're good enough.





	Good Enough

**Author's Note:**

> This is a side story to [Get Me Through](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11715270), which is an ignoct story that takes place in adulthood. I wrote it for ignoctweek for the prompt where Ignis and Noctis switch places, and this story came to mind the deeper I thought about it.

It happened every single day at school. Children—even ones from other classes—swarmed around Ignis and asked him questions about his life as the prince. 

_“Did you get this new game before it came out?”_

_“Does someone eat your vegetables for you?”_

_“Are you allowed to do anything you want?”_

It soon became apparent how often they idolized him without knowing him at all.

Ignis did his best to answer the less invasive questions, but they never stopped. He heard the same ones over and over, until he could recite his answers to his schoolmates.

One day, he had had enough of it all.

“I have to do my own homework,” he told the group queued around him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one child hanging back. Before he could make eye contact, the boy slipped around the corner with his shoulders hunched.

Ignis might have never thought about that student again, but two weeks later, Ignis noticed him lingering nearby as he was waiting by the school gates for Cor. No one could hide behind a telephone pole—not even a toddler—but the boy tried to make himself small when Ignis turned his way. 

“Your Highness?” Cor rolled down the window as he parked along the curb.

“Ignis!” Noctis shouted out the back window. 

“I’ll be there in just a moment.” But when Ignis glanced back at the telephone pole, his schoolmate had disappeared. He would have to find out who he was and to which class he belonged. 

“What was that about?” asked Noctis as Ignis joined him in the backseat. 

“I think someone wants to be my friend,” said Ignis, staring out the window at the pole. He watched it until it disappeared out of site behind the brick school wall. 

~*~

Ignis’ father had taught him to notice the signs of slipping patience. This schooling helped him from losing his temper at the students crowded around him. He excused himself as politely as he could from the group and pulled out a slip of paper. Only one teacher out of all the staff and kids had been able to identify the boy Ignis had spotted.

Ignis found Prompto sitting at the side of the gym on a bench, flipping through photos on a digital camera. He was too entranced to notice anyone there until Ignis’ shadow fell over him.

Prompto jumped and tucked the camera against his thigh. Ignis barely caught a glimpse of a photo of a cat sitting in a window on its screen.

“Sorry!” Prompto scooted over, but there had been plenty of space on the bench for Ignis before he moved.

Ignis sat down. “You don’t have to leave,” he said when he realized Prompto was gathering up his things. “I came to talk to you.”

Prompto paused, pointing at his chest. “Me?” 

“Yes.”

“Oh. Well. Hello.” The boy dipped his head down and wouldn’t make eye contact after that.

Thank the Six Ignis had been brought up in a social environment, despite that he was by no means an extrovert. Noctis often hated soirées and galas, if only because he had to dress up and behave himself in front of the adults. In stark contrast, Gladiolus not only could start a conversation with any stranger, he enjoyed seeking out their company. Ignis often drifted between the two, chatting amicably with guests one minute and stealing sweets under the table with Noctis the next.

“Your name is Prompto?” It always helped to confirm, and Ignis—being the prince—could use the magic of flattery to bring someone out of their shell.

This time, it worked its charm stronger than ever. The boy lifted his head, wide-eyed, and said, “Yeah, how did you know?”

“I asked. I’ve seen you around, and I wanted to say hello.”

“Oh.” A blush crept across Prompto’s cheeks. “I’ve wanted to talk to you, but you’re always surrounded by people.” He dug out his camera. “Do you like dogs and cats?”

Ignis nodded. “We have stray cats that wander into the Citadel. I think my friend Noctis lets them in. They’re not allowed inside. My father says I can’t have any pets.”

“I can’t have pets, either,” said Prompto as he messed with some settings on his camera. “We don’t have a lot of space, and my parents work too much to take care of a dog.” He held up the screen to show an image of a dog that looked familiar to Ignis. “I tried to take care of this one but she went home to her owner.”

“Is that Pryna?”

“Yes! How did you know?”

“Lunafreya and I are friends.”

“Oh. I guess you would know Lady Lunafreya…” Prompto sighed. “I miss her, but I’m happy she’s back with her family.” Despite the positive curve of the phrasing, Ignis had never heard someone sound so lonely. “Oh! Here’s my neighbor’s cat.” It was the same picture he had clicked away from when Ignis arrived. The feline had tuxedo markings and was enjoying the beams of the sun from a perch on a window ledge.

Prompto went through several more animal photos. Some of the pets he could name, others he had seen once and never again. 

“Do you take pictures of people?” asked Ignis when he realized they had gone through two dozen images of cats and dogs.

“Sometimes.” Prompto shrugged. “I prefer animals.”

“My friend Noct would like you,” said Ignis. “His father can’t get him in any pictures, but he likes cats.”

Prompto let out a startled laugh.

“I’d like to see more.”

“Really? S-sure!” Prompto held the screen up again and tapped a button to show Ignis the next picture.

~*~

Over the following week, Ignis met Prompto in the same location to look at new photos. Prompto opened up and talked about how he mostly took care of himself at home because his parents didn’t get in from work until late. He seemed a little young to be left alone all day, but Ignis was afraid to make accusations of neglect and ruin their budding friendship. Prompto didn’t seem to have an issue with his parents’ absences. 

Ignis had often felt ignored by his father, because his duties as king were often more important than his duties as a parent. But instead of leaving him to his own devices, Ignis had been placed under others’ care, like his uncle on his mother’s side. 

Ignis talked more about his friendships than anything else—Prompto enjoyed hearing about Noctis’ antics especially. 

“I should introduce the two of you,” said Ignis. “The three of us could play video games.”

“Are you sure?” asked Prompto slowly. “Noctis might not like me.”

Ignis was more concerned Noctis might monopolize Prompto’s time if they hung out together. “I can’t see why he wouldn’t.”

Prompto shifted on the bench and tucked his camera away.

“You can meet him afterschool. He usually comes to pick me up.”

“I don’t know…”

“Well, another time?” asked Ignis. 

“Sure.” Prompto’s words were hollow, and he didn’t sound excited when Ignis had expected him to be thrilled by the inclusion.

Ignis didn’t want to push him, so he dropped the subject.

The next week, he understood why Prompto had behaved the way he did.

~*~

“Why would the prince want to hang out with that fatass?” 

The girl who said it wasn’t even in Ignis’ class. He only overheard her as he passed in the halls, and she might not have said it if she had known Ignis stood only two feet away.

“Excuse me?” Ignis stopped and stared at her.

The girl turned her head. Upon recognition, her eyes widened and her tone changed. “Prince Ignis!”

“What were you saying?” His voice was so cold he didn’t recognize it as his own. Fury clawed through his ribcage.

“I didn’t say anything,” she lied in a sweet, fake polite voice that made Ignis even more upset.

“We both know what you said, and it was a terrible thing to say.” He walked off before he could listen to more sugary sweet cruelty dripping from her young lips. What if Prompto had heard that? 

Prompto didn’t pry into his life as a prince or treat him like a commodity among the students. No, he showed him pictures of animals. He had even been the one to rescue Pryna, which might have meant they were destined to meet.

Ignis didn’t have any “outside” friends; Noctis and Gladiolus had been assigned to him, and it was only through luck that they had bonded well.

When Ignis reached their usual bench before class started, Prompto wasn’t there. Ignis searched the school yard. He could feel the other students’ eyes on him, but none of them approached him.

He thought about asking, but he was afraid of hearing more scathing remarks about Prompto’s size and worth. 

After he circled around several times, he found a bench under the shade and sighed. Maybe he would see him tomorrow.

~*~

Ignis caught a glimpse of Prompto the next morning. The other boy tried to pretend he hadn’t seen him, but he turned too quickly and tripped. 

“Prompto!” Ignis held out a hand to help him up. Prompto flinched and refused help or eye contact. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah.”

“Can we talk?”

“I should be going to class…”

“No, please. I want to talk to you. We can skip class.” 

“We’ll get in trouble if we do that. I can’t. Just let me go…”

“Just this once,” he promised. “We’ll say it was a royal emergency. How far away do you live?”

“Not far.”

“Let’s go to your house and talk. Your parents won’t show up, will they?”

Prompto shook his head but didn’t move toward the exit doors. 

“Please?” 

“I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

“I’ll take responsibility. I always do with Noct.” Ignis grinned. “My dad knows I’m capable of saying ‘no’ if I shouldn’t do something. You won’t be held responsible. I’ll say I coerced you.”

“…Okay.”

Prompto led the way down a few streets. Ignis was a little worried about being recognized in a place without any protection. If he was late returning that afternoon, Cor would _kill_ him with one glare—and then hand him over to his father for further sentencing. Ignis had never been on the end of that look, but he had witnessed it whenever Noctis shouted out something in his excitement in the backseat of the car on their drives home. He didn’t want to know what it might be like being the recipient. 

No doubt the school would call King Dexter once they found out he was absent, but Ignis would worry about the consequences later.

Prompto’s house was small, and it didn’t seem like anyone truly lived there. The rooms were immaculate, as if someone came by and cleaned the place once or twice a week. It had no personality—no blankets thrown over the backs of the minimalistic seating, no children’s artifacts decorating the fridge. The only room with any life to it at all belonged to Prompto, who had some video games and exercise equipment neatly stored on a shelving unit. One picture hung on the mirror—one of Prompto, bracingly determined as he snapped the photo of himself in that same spot.

Prompto sat on his bed and avoided looking at Ignis.

“Did I do something wrong?” asked Ignis, sitting in the swivel chair at the desk. “Are people at school saying anything about you?” Ignis folded his arms across his chest.

Prompto flinched. “They don’t think I should be friends with you.”

“You’re good enough for me,” said Ignis, feeling the anger from the day before boil back to the surface. “They treat me like a novelty.” His fingernails dug into his arms and tears threatened to spill in his fury. 

“But I’m fat.”

Ignis blinked. “So?” He wasn’t going to deny that Prompto was overweight, but he didn’t think it _mattered._

“I want to be in shape.”

Ignis nodded toward the exercise equipment on the shelf. “I see that.”

“When I heard what they said, I didn’t think you’d want to talk to me,” said Prompto, head bowed. “You have friends already, why do you need someone like me?”

“Because I enjoy talking to you. You take cute pictures of animals. You talk to me the way my friends do—and I can always afford another friend if they’re worth my time.” Ignis smiled, and to his fortune, Prompto glanced up in time to see it.

Prompto beamed back.

After some time, Prompto leaned back, palms against his mattress. “I still want to lose weight. I’ve met a lot of nice people on my runs. I’m having trouble with the salads, but I feel better.”

“Do you eat only salads?” asked Ignis, surprised. 

Prompto nodded. “It used to be easy to get a burger for dinner, since my parents aren’t home to cook, but I know that’s not good for me.”

“It is in moderation,” said Ignis, grinning when he thought of how a diet of salads would be a death sentence for Noctis. “Why not try tastier meals?”

Prompto shrugged. “I don’t know how to cook.”

“I’ve baked cookies with Gladio. He learned to make them for his little sister when he babysits. But I guess that won’t help you…” Ignis bit his lip. He had access to cookbooks—the Citadel library had anything a person could imagine. 

Maybe it was time Ignis tried his hand at cooking. 

~*~

The door to Ignis’ bedroom opened and Noctis raced in. He flung himself onto his stomach on the bed, hands tucked under his chin.

“I can’t believe you got grounded without me!” said Noctis, eyes wide. “You skipped school?!”

“I needed to,” said Ignis. He had said as much to his father, earning him a second week of restriction on top of the original punishment he had been given. Even after he had described the events leading up to his decision to cut class, no mercy or understanding had been granted. But at least King Dexter hadn’t thrown in a third week. Clarus had said he ought to be grateful it ended so smoothly for him. 

Two weeks of extra homework and no video games did not sound “smooth”, but Ignis did not bicker with his father’s Shield over the matter. 

“Dad said they had everyone out looking for you! Where did they find you, anyway?”

“At Prompto’s. Everyone knew we’d been hanging out, and when they found out he wasn’t in class either, they checked for us at his house.”

“You got your new friend in trouble?” Noctis frowned. “Is he going to want to still hang out with you?”

“ _We_ still hang out, and you’ve done nothing but get me into trouble for years.” Ignis laughed when Noctis made a face. “I begged Prompto to leave with me, and I told Dad as much, but I don’t know how his parents will take it.”

“Your dad is scary.”

“That’s because he’s the king.” Ignis thought Cor and Clarus were more frightening, and even those two were soft beyond their stern exteriors. “You know you’re not supposed to be here, right?”

“I’ll slip out before anyone finds me.”

“That never happens.”

“Why did you need to talk to Prompto?” asked Noctis, ignoring him. “Dad wouldn’t tell me anything.”

Ignis went over the events in detail, including Prompto’s weight concerns. Noctis reached over and ran his finger along the spines of the books lined up on Ignis’ deck. 

“So that’s why you have all the cookbooks! Make sure to leave out veggies.”

“I’m learning to cook for Prompto, not you,” said Ignis, swatting his hand away.

A knock interrupted their conversation. 

“Come in!” Ignis called, and Noctis tried to duck down on the other side of the bed, out of sight.

Regis stepped in. “I know my son is in here, I just heard him talking.”

Ignis nodded toward Noctis, who groaned and slapped the carpet with his palm.

“It’s not like I could’ve hidden you,” said Ignis. “He said he heard you.”

Noctis stood, readjusting the hem of his shirt and doing everything to avoid looking directly at Regis.

“I thought I told you to leave Ignis alone,” said Regis, arms folded over his chest. “You know he’s in trouble right now.”

“Oh c’mon, Dad, I’m his advisor! I’m…advising him to be good.”

Regis rolled his eyes. “We all know what your advice is like. Come along, before you add more weeks to Ignis’ sentence.”

“Fine.” Noctis turned away to grin at Ignis. “Bye, Specs! See you later!”

His dashed over to his father, who messed up his hair as he passed. They left, clicking the door shut behind them.

Ignis slid a cookbook from the top of the pile and opened it. He needed to find a recipe to experiment with for his first dish.

~*~

After Ignis finished serving two weeks of his punishment, he had the freedom to spend the evenings in the kitchen. The cooks were wary of him, and Cor had been ordered to watch over him. Sometimes Ignis suspected Cor enjoyed babysitting duty. Or maybe King Dexter thought Cor’s perpetual serious expression would intimidate the boys out of their mischief.

Noctis insisted on joining Ignis even when he was bored. Gladiolus sometimes joined them as well, but mostly it was Noctis, using his role as “advisor” to give feedback. He might not have been much help with vegetables, but when it came to other dishes, he let Ignis know if his seasonings were too strong or just right.

Many of Ignis’ earlier dishes came out badly. He found out that some meats needed hours to cook, while some needed time to marinate before they were put on the grill or in a pan. He undercooked rice, chopped vegetables unevenly, and had trouble getting the salt right. But with studying and tests, he saw improvements in his skills.

“There are too many vegetables,” Noctis whined. That was one bit of advice Ignis had learned to ignore early on.

“This isn’t for you,” Ignis reminded him as he sliced mushrooms and added them to the broth. He would put it over a bit of rice and throw in grilled vegetables before he packed it up and served it to Prompto for lunch the next day. It would be his first time giving Prompto one of his dishes.

“You’re ruining it.”

“Noctis.” Cor raised an eyebrow and gestured for Noctis to sit at one of the stools nearby. “Stop pestering Ignis while he has a knife.”

“He’s not going to stab me.”

“I don’t see why he _wouldn’t_.”

Noctis grinned. “’Cos he loves me.”

Ignis blushed. “Now I’m definitely going to stab you.”

“Noctis, please sit down.” Cor tapped the base of the stool hard. This time, Noctis obeyed. 

When the broth thickened into a delicious gravy, Ignis poured it over the meat and rice in the box. He sealed the top, having already finished the vegetables earlier.

“You should cook for me,” said Noctis, frowning as he rested his head against the countertop. 

“I made you some dessert,” said Ignis.

Noctis popped his head up. “What did you make?”

“Cake. Nothing fancy.” Ignis put the lunched box in the fridge and pulled out a cake tray. The layer of frosting was sloppy, his attempt at roses more like little sugar lumps, but Noctis’ eyes widened at the sight. 

“Do you want any, Cor?” asked Ignis.

“Sure.” This surprised Ignis—he had discovered the marshal had a rather simple outlook on food. Desserts didn’t seem like the sort of thing that Cor would enjoy, but he gladly took the plate and fork when it was handed to him.

While Noctis dived right in, Ignis waited to sample it so he could observe Cor’s reaction. 

“It’s good,” said Cor, nodding after a minute. “Could use a little more orange. The vanilla dominates the flavor. You might want to balance that out.”

“Oh.” Ignis hadn’t expected any detailed feedback. “Thanks. I’ll make sure to do that.”

“I think it’s delicious, but it needs more frosting,” said Noctis, who had already wolfed down half his slice.

“It has plenty of frosting,” said Ignis, huffing.

“Can I have another slice?”

“No—”

“I’ll take another.” Cor held out his plate.

Ignis sighed. “You’re going to eat half the cake…” He wanted to at least share it with several others before it was gone, but he supposed he could bake another using Cor’s critique. It would be better to offer his father a slice that was improved upon rather than give him this early attempt.

But most of all, what mattered was Prompto’s opinion. 

Once Ignis perfected the cake, he would share it with Prompto, too, as a landmark for whatever progress he made on his journey—even if he only learned to see his own worth no matter his size.

~*~

“This is good,” said Prompto after a tentative bite. He began to scoop up another forkful.

“Is it too spicy?” asked Ignis. “I added a lot of peppers.”

“I love spicy foods.”

“I could make curry next.” Ignis had an entire book on curry to sample out any number of recipes. “If I make it from scratch, it shouldn’t contain too much sodium.”

Prompto finished another bite before he spoke again. “Thank you, Ignis. Did you make enough for yourself?”

“Oh, I sampled some last night.” 

“You should make some for Noctis and Gladio, they’re your friends, too!”

Ignis didn’t think Noctis would ever try any of these dishes—he would have to make meals separate for him if he planned to feed his picky future chamberlain.

“Would you eat it again?”

Prompto’s face lit up, eyes watering. “You’d make it for me again?”

“Of course.”

Prompto set the box on the side of the bench and tossed his arms around Ignis. “Thank you!”

Ignis wasn’t sure how to react in response—he had never received a hug from anyone who wasn’t family or part of his future Crownsguard. The thought that he had made Prompto this happy warmed his heart and made his eyes water. 

“Be part of my Crownsguard,” said Ignis as the thought occurred to him.

“What?” Prompto slid his arms away, mouth dropped open. Ignis hadn’t noticed before, but his face had slimmed, already showing the signs of his hard work. 

“Be part of my Crownsguard,” Ignis repeated.

“Me? I can’t fight.”

“You can train with me and Noct.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’ll talk to my dad about it.” Ignis was sure his father would agree—plenty of civilians trained to become part of the Crownsguard, if they proved their worth. Being able to trust the people who protect you was critical to the role, and Ignis felt Prompto would fulfill it admirably. 

“Then I will,” said Prompto. “I’ll support you!”

This time, Ignis embraced Prompto.

**Author's Note:**

> In the anime, the students didn't make fun of Prompto, but I feel like they'd be cruel to him out of jealousy if he had been friends with the prince? 
> 
> I always felt bad that Noctis couldn't be friends with Prompto earlier, but I chalked it up to Noctis being kind of antisocial after the Marilith attack. Ignis, on the other hand, handled it better. (And had Noctis cheer him up. I feel like Noctis would have been able to remain a more playful, energetic child without the trauma. So he helped Ignis through his.) So I think Ignis and Prompto would have been friends earlier!


End file.
